Lakewood business couple appealing alcohol permit for 7-Eleven

LAKEWOOD - A Lakewood business couple who wants to open a 7-Eleven that would sell alcohol says the city's Planning and Environment Commission is treating them harshly and unfairly by recommending a conditional permit to only sell beer and wine.

Violit and Emeil Kamel are appealing the commission's decision at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

The proposed 7-Eleven would be located at 4905 Bellflower Blvd., the northwest corner of Bellflower and Del Amo boulevards.

The commission made its recommendation because the city has never approved a license to sell distilled spirits, beer and wine at a 7-Eleven, and nine other facilities in the area already sell alcohol, according to a city report. Also, a large number of Lakewood High School students wait at a bus stop near the location, the report says.

The commission also recommended, as suggested by Lakewood Sheriff's Station officials, that the business hire a security guard to work from noon to 4 p.m. and install a state-of-the-art security camera system with facial and license plate recognition abilities. The commission also said the business can't use alcohol advertisements, including self-illuminated signs in the windows, the staff report says.

The Kamels said they want their proposed store treated the same as the 7-Eleven at 5905 South St., at the corner of Woodruff Avenue and South Street. That location is 200 feet from St. Joseph's High School and doesn't have a security guard, yet the proposed 7-Eleven is more than 500 feet from the nearest high school, the staff report says.

The security guard also was recommended because the Lakewood Sheriff's Station, from March 1, 2009, to March 1, 2012, received 81 calls for that area, including loitering, robberies and narcotics arrests.

But the Kamels said only eight disturbance calls were for their location. The others were for an adjacent strip mall and they shouldn't be held accountable for those businesses, the Kamels told the commission.

Director of Community Development Sonia Southwell is giving the council several options, including approving the conditional use permit, upholding the appeal, modifying conditions to the permit, or holding a public hearing.